1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blind member for a vehicle, which closes a gap between an opening in an instrument panel and a steering member, and to a gap-closing structure including the blind member.
2. Description of the Related Art
As for a steering device for a vehicle, one is known which is provided with a tilting structure which can adjust the height of a steering wheel in the vertical direction. In this kind of steering device, since a steering column moves in the vertical direction by an adjustment by the tilting structure, a comparatively large gap is formed at a bottom side of the steering wheel, namely between the opening in the instrument panel and a column cover which surrounds a periphery of the steering column.
As for conventional arts for dissolving this problem, for example, one is proposed in which a plate-shaped blind member is attached onto the column cover so as to extend from the periphery thereof, and the blind member slidably contacts with an inside of an opening edge in the instrument panel (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-177600).
In addition, as another conventional gap-closing structure, one is proposed in which each ends of a rubber blind member having a curved-portion is fixed to a column cover and an opening in an instrument panel (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2005-7965). In this gap-closing structure, the blind member always closes a gap between the column cover and the opening in the instrument panel, while allowing movements of the column cover by deflections of the blind member.
Moreover, this gap-closing structure can also correspond to movements of a telescopic structure which adjusts a position of a steering wheel forwards and backwards by deflections of the curved-portion of the blind member.
In the gap-closing structure disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-177600, the plate-shaped blind member slidably contacts the inside of the opening edge in the instrument panel; however, it was difficult to always stably maintain the contact between the blind member and the opening edge in the instrument panel without having a gap therebetween. A stable contact in this construction requires increase in friction resistance of the blind member.
In addition, in the gap-closing structure disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2005-7965, since each ends of the rubber blind member is fixed to the column cover and the opening edge in the instrument panel, the gap between the blind member and the column cover can always be closed. However, since the blind member is readily be suffered from sunrays through window glasses, and since a comparatively large stress is applied during position-adjustments onto the curved-portion which can be seen from the outside, it was concerned that aged deteriorations such as cockles and bends arise, and thereby causing deteriorations in the appearance thereof.
The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object of providing a blind member which can always reliably close a gap between a column cover and an opening edge in the instrument panel without causing aged deteriorations in the appearance, and a gap-closing structure including the blind member.